I’ve always been very interested in the Southwest. As a teenager I went camping frequently and it has been a goal of mine to someday see the Grand Canyon and hike in the deserts. But recently I discovered that I have already done those things. At the time the information didn’t surprise me because I was already aware that as a young child I went on many trips, all of which I do not remember. But as I thought about it, I was fascinated that I could have such an awesome experience yet have absolutely no recollection of it ever happening.

With further investigation I revealed that we had gone on a road trip through the Southwest back in 1995, when I was only three years old. Using found images, interviews and Internet resources I try to relive that experience through my own means. I virtually explore the locations we visited on the trip via the computer while also attempting to venture deeper into the physical landscape through three-dimensional sculpture. On this journey to find a lost memory I am commenting on how our society views images in relation to remembering situations and events. By responding to images, online or found, I get a false representation of what it was actually like to be there in 1995. The work that is produced is a result of creating a memory while trying to recollect a lost one, which in turn poses a question of authenticity.

Road Trip from Dallas to Las Vegas, 1995As Seen Through Google Maps, 2014Videos from three channel video installation

Grand Canyon Virtual Helicopter Tour: Green Route #2 (Clip), 2014Original full length video installation is 30 minutes and 30 seconds long. The virtual flightpath is mapped out using Google Earth and a flight map fromthe Papillon Imperial Air Tour, the same helicopter tour I went on in 1995.For more information on this piece visit my blog post where I describe the process in detail: Click Here

Interviews collected from each close family member that was on the trip in 1995.Audio is played throughout the installation space, or through headphones while viewer observes work.Voices include: Myself (Alec Pugliese), Michele Pugliese (Mother), Anthony Pugliese (Father), Joyce Pugliese (Grandmother)